April 25, 2020 (21st Century Wire) -In this follow-up interview with Stanford University’s Dr John Ioannidis, he explains the findings from three preliminary studies, (including his latest, which shows a drastically reduced infection fatality rate); the negative health and economic effects of draconian ‘lockdown’ policies, as well as Sweden’s non-lockdown approach, Italian data, the pros and cons of testing and finally the feasibility of much touted ‘contact tracing’, and much more.

Interview by John Kirby from Press and The Public Project with Dr. Ioannidis. Watch:

According to their new findings, the infection fatality rate for COVID-19 is significantly lower than previously assumed. “If you take these new numbers into account, they suggest that the fatality rate for this new coronavirus is likely to be “in same the ballpark of seasonal influenza,” says Dr Ioannidis.

Dr John P.A. Ioannidis is a professor of medicine and professor of epidemiology and population health, as well as professor by courtesy of biomedical data science at Stanford University School of Medicine, professor by courtesy of statistics at Stanford University School of Humanities and Sciences, and co-director of the Meta-Research Innovation Center at Stanford (METRICS) at Stanford University.